Blogs

I probably won't post anything until the new year (unless something insane happens), so consider this post your one-stop shop for New Year's Eve goings-on. Feel free to chime in with what we might have missed!

[Edit: Yup, check the comments.]

*7 Shot Screamers/Bitch Slap Barbie/Mississippi Hippy Killers, Way Out Club, $10
*Bad Folk/Theodore/Grace Basement, Lemmons (open bar!)
*Dr. Zhivegas, Pageant
*Earthworms/Royal Illete/Upright Animals/Nite Owl/40 'til 5, Duck Room, 10 p.m.
*Fattback, Off Broadway, 8 p.m.
*Ruedio 54, Rue 13, 9 p.m.
*Dave Aude, Dante's
*.e/Sleep State, etc., Lemp
*The TripDaddys/Kentucky Knife Fight/Ded Bugs/Left Arm, Creepy Crawl
*7 Shot Screamers/Femme Fatality, Atomic Cowboy

-- Annie Zaleski

*Radiohead's doing a live webcast of In Rainbows, to ring in the new year. Yay! (radiohead.com/deadairspace)

*Download the two Prince covers Of Montreal did at the Pageant back in November, " I Would Die 4 U" and "Baby, I'm a Star." The latter sounded like it was going to be "Raspberry Beret" instead. (Funeral Pudding)

*Jay-Z's no longer going to be the president of Def Jam. (billboard.com)

*Rapper Yung Joc, was arrested at the Cleveland airport with a loaded gun in his carry-on. The same day I flew into Clevo. Coincidence? Yes. (Billboard)

The Livers -- a.k.a. the fantastic new Foo Fighters/Pixies-esque band in town -- is honoring the Christmas holiday by playing a gig tonight at the Way Out Club. The duo has also posted a three-part video that amounts to drunken Christmas caroling here.

However, it's also uploaded an amazing spoof of Laverne & Shirley. Please view it below. Merry Christmas.

Ashlee Simpson's new song, "Outta My Head (Brad Walsh Remix)":

Cyndi Lauper, "She Bop":

Oh, hi. Leftover MP3s. Enjoy.

MP3: New Order, "Rockin' Carol" (Christmas flexi-disc, 1982)

MP3: The Walkmen, "No Christmas While I'm Talking"

-- Annie Zaleski

I should know better by now that the holidays -- and their accompanying early deadlines -- make big projects a bit too ambitious. (See also: why I never send out Christmas cards.) But I would be remiss if I didn't post a few classic holiday MP3s for everyone. I suggest listening to them before you head out to one of the many, many holiday shows tonight taking place at Off Broadway (So Many Dynamos, Gentleman Auction House, Laite, Light Pollution), Cicero's (Jumbling Towers, Say Panther, Elsinore, KIng Thief) or the Old Rock House (The Feed, Go Van Gogh, Jones Street Boys, Caleb Travers).

A to Z will be updated sporadically until January, due to holiday shenanigans and vacation -- although I'd look tomorrow for a huge MP3 post. Either way, check back every so often; perhaps boredom will drive me post while visiting the fam.

MP3: U2, "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)"

MP3: The Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl, "A Fairytale of New York"

-- Annie Zaleski

At this link on TMZ.

-- Annie Zaleski

First saw this item on 52nd City last night, but I stopped by today and verified that it's true: Streetside Records in the Loop is closing its doors after December 24. The clerk I spoke with tonight said they found out the store was closing two weeks ago.

Streetside's closure wasn't a surprise. As we reported in April, Streetside's lease at 6314 Delmar Boulevard expires in January; additionally, the real estate firm Hutkin Development Company struck deals with chain stores Chipotle and Noodles and Company to move into the building. No word yet on if/when these business will open there.

Contrary to the April article, however, another worker I talked to at the store tonight said that the Loop Streetside will not be relocating; the unsold merchandise will be shipped to a warehouse operated by TransWorld Entertainment, which owns Streetside.

TransWorld also owns the Streetside Records in Florissant, and the FYE located at 3801 Hampton Avenue.

Right now merchandise in the Loop is 10-50% off, with all CDs at 20% off.

We'll have more information as it becomes known.

I also found out today that Alton's Music Biz is set to close December 31. According to the Alton Telegraph's business blog, the record store had been at its 192 Alton Square Drive location since 1993. Find out more information at this link.

-- Annie Zaleski

Music blog Cokemachineglow just posted a covers podcast, which includes The Hood Internet mashin' up Huey's "Pop, Lock & Drop It (Remix)" (feat. Bow Wow & T-Pain) into a song called "Poppin' Lockin' & Droppin' in O Seven."

The song features the vocals from Huey's hit single atop snippets of songs from the following artists: The White Stripes, LCD Soundsystem, Justice, Yeasayer, Andrew Bird, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Simian Mobile Disco, Modest Mouse, Chromatics, Feist, Jens Lekman, Spoon, Battles, Calvin Harris, Air, Professor Murder, Les Savy Fav, Digitalism, Aesop Rock, Huey, Shop Boyz, and Soulja Boy.

Did I mention it's pretty much amazing? Like Girl Talk, only slightly more linear. Download the entire podcast here.

(By the way, if you heard the sound of something exploding, that was just the head of Brooke Foster, after she saw that the first song on the podcast is by the Lackthereof (a.k.a. Danny Seim from Menomena) covering the National's "Fake Empire." Brooke wrote about both bands in her year-end wrap-up, which is now online.)

I'm pretty much late to the hipster party in talking about the Hood Internet, but I highly recommend you check out its official Web site, for tons and tons and tons of mash-ups. My personal favorites -- besides the Photoshopped photos for every post, which are sometimes utterly hilarious -- include:

*Dr. Dre vs. Fujiya and Miyagi
*The Dismemberment Plan vs. Amerie
*Justice vs. Genesis
*Eve vs. Radiohead
*Chris Brown vs. AC Newman

-- Annie Zaleski

So, an A to Z reader (who wishes to remain anonymous) emailed Wilco to inquire about St. Louis plans. (Inspired, perhaps, by my open letter.) The band responded thusly:

From:"Wilco HQ" Subject:Re: WILCO Tour Announcement Date:Wed, 12 Dec 2007 16:28:59 -0800 To:[REDACTED]

hi [REDACTED]

yes at some point...we will come to St. Louis... this is a short tour
in the middle of the Winter primarily hitting markets we have not
played on this record...more dates later in the spring.

ken
On Dec 11, 2007, at 3:00 PM, [REDACTED] wrote:

> Umm, I know Jeff is now all Chicago and all but seriously, are you
> ever
> coming back to St. Louis?

Thanks, anonymous reader! My letter was more to point out absurdity of the "Road trip!" ad and to lament the lack of concert love toward here; glad the band is being so responsive and keeping us in mind. Mission accomplished.

-- Annie Zaleski